You've Been There
by JeSuisPenLit
Summary: Ginny knows it isn't working out. She knows Harry isn't The One. It's well and truly over this time and Cho is there for her. Happiness can take surprising forms, it takes courage to see that.


**A/N: If you don't like non-hetero pairings, this isn't for you. Thanks to AveRomani for the title!**

Ginny Weasley was sick and tired of Harry Potter's bullshit.

"I'm Harry Potter, I'm The Boy Who Lived!" she mutters in the most mocking, condescending tone she can spit through her clenched teeth.

Truth be told, it just wasn't working any more. The Boy Who Lived may have saved the wizarding world at the tender age of 17, but at 19 his head had swelled to an unfathomable size. It was a miracle his head could even fit through doorways (although after her little temper tantrum back at the house, Ginny knew that concern had become more literal than figurative).

She wandered out into the gently swaying grasses in the meadow behind Harry's house. She did love how quiet and secluded it was here. She would miss it when she left for Quidditch training in a few weeks.

She let out a heavy sigh and flopped onto a patch of flattened grass. She was pretty sure this was where they had celebrated their anniversary a few days ago. The same day she had ruined her favourite shirt, the day she had sunburnt her back, the day her and Harry had...

She had to stop. Every single time things got difficult, every time she realized this would never work, she remembered all of the superficial good times and convinced herself to stay and keep trying, making herself miserable in the process.

Unfortunately, a good shag never cancelled out a lack of respect or a desire for partnership.

Ginny tilts her head skyward, feeling the delicate rays of the sun on her cheeks, inevitably causing more freckles but lifting her spirits. So engrossed is she that she doesn't hear the sound of approaching footsteps.

"May I sit?" A gentle feminine voice, carried on the breeze, interrupts Ginny's reverie.

"Of course," she responds, squinting up at the sun-haloed figure of Cho Chang.

Cho had been an unexpected neighbor when Harry had moved here. At first, Ginny had felt a burning jealousy that Harry's ex lived a short walk across the meadow. Cho had been the first girl Harry had ever fancied, the first girl he had ever kissed. All during a time when Ginny was pining for him and he acted like she didn't even exist.

But Cho had turned out to be a blessing and an ally. Cho had honed the art of avoiding the press, who had hounded her mercilessly for being Cedric's mourning girlfriend, for her brief flirtation with Harry, and for a long but ultimately unsuccessful relationship with a semi-famous Quidditch star. She was kind, she was helpful, she was understanding. She had a softness that none of Ginny's other friends had, and Cho never told her that she should just be grateful because she was dating Harry-freaking-Potter.

"I think this is actually the end, Cho." Ginny says, looking back up into the sky. She knows she should feel sadness or loss, but she just feels a deep conviction and a wave of peace washes over her instead.

"How do you feel?" Cho asks, taking a seat beside her and reaching out a comforting hand.

Ginny tells her the truth. "It feels right."

The two women lapse into silence as the sun continues its path across the sky. The day heats up and the grasses continue to gently sway, and Ginny feels happiness. Complete and total happiness. For the first time in months.

Laying down on her back, eyes on the clouds gambolling above her, Cho doesn't feel the same peace.

"When do you leave?" she asks softly, turning to look at Ginny.

"Two weeks," replies Ginny. "I'm so excited. Finally being able to train with professionals. Being a better player. Learning from the best. It's what I've wanted for so long."

"I'll miss you," says Cho in a whisper.

Ginny is caught off guard by Cho's frankness. A twinge of sadness streaks across Cho's face, Ginny sees it as she looks over at the other girl.

"Don't be sad!" Ginny wails. "I'm going to come back all the time, and once I get past boot camp and find a place to live you can come and stay with me whenever you like! Plus, we can send owls and chat over the floo every day!"

Cho can't hold back another jolt of sadness, it grimaces its way across her face. She can't look at Ginny, she can't stay still. She rises into a seated position, legs tucked beneath her, eyes focused on the patch of dirt and flattened grass in front of her. How can she look Ginny in the eye when she feels like this? How can she tell her how happy she is that Ginny and Harry are through, but how sad she is that in a mere fourteen days Ginny will be gone? That Ginny will be in a new place, with new things to do, people to meet, to spend time with...

To fall in love with.

Ginny places a hand on Cho's knee. "You have been the most supportive person in my life," Ginny says. "You are the only person I can trust with my heart and soul."

The tenderness in her voice forces Cho to lift her gaze. When their eyes meet Cho sees compassion in Ginny's gaze. Ginny sees fear in Cho's.

But in a snap of Cho's synapses that fear is replaced with resolve. Something in her lets go, and Cho springs forward, capturing Ginny's lips in a searing kiss. Everything Cho has felt, everything she has never said, and everything she had every wanted to say is poured into the kiss.

Surprised, Ginny kisses her back. There is no world in which she expected her best friend to suddenly plant one on her, but it feels... right. Everything with Harry had felt so wrong for so long, but this kiss...

Ginny didn't think anything of it when Cho leaned into her further, gently laying her down on the grass. Cho's dark hair fell like a curtain around them, hiding their kiss from view. When Ginny's hands rested themselves on Cho's hips, both women knew there was no turning back.

In later years, after The Daily Prophet had run out of pithy headlines about the relationship between Harry Potter's exes, after the photographers started leaving them alone, after Ginny's career-ending fall and Cho's tearful hospital proposal, the two would return to the meadow and make love in the tall grass, remembering that happiness can come in surprising forms.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I've been on a roll with the writing, I've written three short stories in the last couple of days. Not all are fanfic so definitely go find my FictionPress account to see those. **

**Question: How do you all come up with titles? It's something I'm terrible at.**

**Happy reading!**

**L**


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